Science from the Poles: Climate Change with Dr. Stephen Schneider(Webcast)

Running Time:00:38:45

Dr. Stephen H. Schneider joins us to discuss climate change. Dr. Schneider was honored in 1992 with a MacArthur Fellowship for his ability to integrate and interpret the results of global climate research through public lectures, seminars, classroom teaching, and research collaboration with colleagues.

McMurdo Station is the American staging area for Antarctic research. At the edge of Ross Island, off the coast of the continent, a small town of workeres feeds, houses, prepared, supplies, fuels, transports, and protects those who conduct field research throughout Antarctica and the surrounding waters. The community numbers 1,000 in the summer and 200 in the winter.
And the community has a garden, from which they obtain their only fresh produce. Many love to visit this polar paradise.

McMurdo Station is the American staging area for Antarctic research. At the edge of Ross Island, off the coast of the continent, a small town of workeres feeds, houses, prepared, supplies, fuels, transports, and protects those who conduct field research throughout Antarctica and the surrounding waters. The community numbers 1,000 in the summer and 200 in the winter.
And the community has a garden. But they aren't allowed to use soil.

Chris McKay, Planetary Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, has traveled the world seeking Mars-like environments. In the Dry Valleys of Antarctica—his favorite Mars analog on Earth—Dr. McKay discovered a kind of algae living inside rocks porous to light and water. He’ll show us some of these rocks and talk about the physical conditions required for life.

Jonathan Trent, Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center studies "thermophiles," heat-loving microbes inhabiting places once thought too hostile for life, but analogous to environments that might be found on other planets. He discovered that some of these microbes make a protein that appears to stabilize their cell membranes (and may have applications for nanotechnology).

Nathalie Cabrol, Planetary Scientist, Principal Investigator at NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute, looks for Mars analogs in extreme environments on Earth. She found one at the world’s highest lake at Chile’s Licancabur volcano, site of a unique analog to ancient Martian lakes. We chat with Dr. Cabrol as she investigates the life forms at Licancabur.

Webcasts made possible through
the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Jim Clark
Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation,.and the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).